Zefal’s new lightweight carbon bottle cage looks like a bit of a bargain

How much does your bottle cage weigh? It’s probably not something you ever worry about, but Zefal’s brand new Pulse L2 weighs a paltry 18g yet it costs a very reasonable £18.

To put that in perspective, there’s a German company that will sell you a 4g carbon cage for €90, satisfying even the neediest weight weenies.

Zefal’s new cage works out at £1 per 1g then, compared to about €22 per 1g with the aforementioned German-made carbon bottle cage.

We first saw Zefal’s new cage at the recent Cycle Show but we now have a pair to test so here’s a quick first look.  It’s a nicely made cage with a very slender appearance thanks to the skinny wings that clasp the water bottle. There are two smaller tabs lower down to further support the bottle. It’s made from carbon fibre, naturally, and it’s made in France, which is rare in this era of Far East manufacturing.

The Pulse L2 is the company’s lightest ever cage, being about half the weight of a regular cage. Typical weight for a cage, from looking through the road.cc reviews are 30-40g and prices range from a tenner up to £40. So the price and weight of the new Zefal cage seem very sensible indeed.

But is it really 18g? I put it on the scales and… it weighs 19g. That’s probably within the margin of error, and these kitchen scales probably aren’t the most accurate.

But does it deliver secure bottle retention? Based on a quick ride this morning, yes it does. The bottle slides in easily, it stays firmly in place even over some rough gravel tracks, and the bottle is easy to extract when you need some sweet hydration. Testing will continue for the full review coming soon.

The price includes two aluminium bolts, in case your frame doesn't have any. There's not the range of adjustment you get with some cages that let you mount higher or lower. 

More info at www.zefal.com